Division rankings: Kinza rockets to the top of her category

This week, I shine the spotlight on Kinza, the 3-year-old filly bred in New York but based in California under the training of the embattled Bob Baffert.

Unbeaten in three starts, Kinza made her career debut less than 90 days ago but already has run faster than any other horse in her division.

I have more thoughts on Kinza, but first let's take a look at this week's updated division rankings.

Older dirt males

1. Señor Buscador. Scored a wildly popular win in the Grade 1 Saudi Cup (G1), narrowly edging the Japanese star Ushba Tesoro. Before the Saudi Cup, he was a narrow runner-up to National Treasure in the Pegasus World Cup Invitational (G1). Has to be ranked atop of the heap in this division, for now at least. Will run next in the Dubai World Cup (G1)

2. National Treasure. His fourth-place effort in the Saudi Cup was a  good effort, losing by a little under two lengths. The Pegasus World Cup winner stays here at No. 2 as he reaffirmed what he has shown us in his last three starts, that he has matured into a serious horse. Has returned to the U.S. for the remainder of the season.

3. Saudi Crown. Nearly pulled off a Saudi Cup win, tiring late to finish third, beaten 3/4 of a length. Heads to Dubai to run in the Godolphin Mile (G2) for his next start.

4. White Abarrio. No excuses when off the board in the Saudi Cup, and one has to wonder whether running overseas with his trainer under a microscope had anything to do with it. The Breeders' Cup Classic winner from last season will run the rest of the year in the U.S., where he will try to get back to the dramatic form reversal we witnessed over his three starts before the Saudi Cup.

5. Newgate. Game winner of a thrilling edition of the Santa Anita Handicap (G1), he now could be headed for Dubai and the World Cup. The Big 'Cap was his second graded-stakes win.

Next 5: Arabian Knight, Angel of Empire, Disarm, Subsanador, Newgrange

Older dirt females

1. Idiomatic. Gutsy winner of the Breeders' Cup Distaff, she returns as defending champion of this division after having won the Eclipse. Finished 8-for-9 in 2023, a tally that includes three Grade 1 wins. Back working, she likely will return on May 3 in the La Troienne (G1) Stakes at Churchill Downs.

2. Pretty Mischievous. The 3-year-old female Eclipse winner from 2023, this gal returns in 2024.

3. Randomized. Runner-up in the Breeders' Cup Distaff as a 3-year-old, she came on late at the end of last season. Scored in the Beldame (G2) over older for her second graded-stakes win before the Distaff, and last summer she won the Alabama (G1). Could be a serious player in this division.

4. Sweet Azteca. Won her first graded stakes last out in the Beholder Mile (G1). She is 3-for-4 in her short career thus far.

5. Adare Manor. Runner-up to Sweet Azteca in the Beholder Mile, she never saw the lead but did close near the end and ran well given the circumstances.

Next 5: Desert Dawn, Bellamore, Comparative, Xigera, Wet Paint, Vahva

3-year-old males

1. Nysos. Unbeaten in three starts, this son of Nyquist has the look of a superstar. Still a long way to go, but he certainly is the leader of this division at the moment. On the shelf for at least a month because of physical issues.
2. Muth. Made his 3-year-old debut in January and impressed to win going away in the San Vicente (G2). Last season at age 2 he was second best in the Breeders' Cup and won the American Pharoah (G1) at Santa Anita. Could target the Arkansas Derby (G1) for his next start.
3. Hades. Surprised in the Holy Bull (G3), running his record to 3-for-3. Still, the race came back with slow figures, and runner-up Domestic Product came back to win the Tampa Bay Derby (G3) last week in a historically slow race speed-figure-wise. Will run in the Florida Derby (G1) later this month.

4. Timberlake. A Grade 1 winner at age 2, he made his first appearance at age 3 a winning one in the Rebel (G2) at Oaklawn last month. The field he defeated was suspect as none of the entrants had a stakes win on their resume, so we need to pump the brakes and keep him in this spot.

5. Sierra Leone. Others are quick to pull the trigger and bump this guy to the top of their 3-year-old and Kentucky Derby rankings, but I do things differently. He won the Risen Star Stakes (G2) last out for his first stakes win, but it came in the slop, which often produces one-off results. So I don't buy into the hyperbole just yet. He has much more to prove, and I question how solid the field was. The figure came back on the slow side as well. Will ship to Keeneland and run next in the Blue Grass (G1) on April 6.

Next 10: Dornoch, Track Phantom, Mystik Dan, Fierceness, Domestic Product, Just a Touch, Catching Freedom, Imagination, Deterministic, Honor Marie

3-year-old females

1. Kinza. Has been dominant in all three of her career starts, runnig faster than any other in this division. Already has two graded-stakes wins this season.

2. Jody's Pride. Runner-up in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies, her only loss in three starts. Ran well in her 3-year-old debut, running away with the Busher at Aqueduct.

3. Just F Y I. Looked very good winning the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies and then won the Eclipse as the top 2-year-old female. Scratched out of the Davona Dale (G2).

4. Tamara. Disappointed as the favorite in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies but was found afterward to have a cracked splint bone. This daughter of Beholder won the Del Mar Debutante (G1) rather easily in her start before the Breeders' Cup. She is back jogging, but like Just F Y I, she is a wildcard at age 3.

5. Candied. Won the Alcibiades (G1) in her second career start , defeating Brightwork, among others. Finished third in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies.

Next 5: Hard to Justify, Tarifa, Intricate, Fiona's Magic, Lemon Muffin

Turf males

1. Casa Creed. Beaten by only a half-length in the Breeders' Cup Mile, this guy was never off the board in 2023, going 2-for-5 with one Grade 1 win. Missed the Saudi Arabia trip because of a fever.

2. I'm Very Busy. Runner-up in the Pegasus World Cup Turf (G1), which was his first start since a runner-up effort in the Hill Prince (G2) last November at age 3. Trained by Chad Brown, he could contend in a wide-open division.

3. Program Trading. Won the Hollywood Derby (G1) in his last start in December. Now age 4, he should be even better.

4. Gold Phoenix. Had an up-and-down 2023, which saw him win three graded stakes, including the Kilroe Mile (G1). But he also was off the board in four graded stakes. One of those, the Breeders' Cup Turf, was a nice performance as he finished fourth, beaten by only a little over two lengths.

5. Du Jour. Overpowered the Kilroe Mile (G1) field last out for his first Grade 1 win. Previous to that he was off the board in the Breeder's Cup Mile and won one graded stakes in 2023.

Next 5: Emannuel, Easter, Exaulted, Never Explain, Missed the Cut

Turf females

1. In Italian. Robbed of the Eclipse Award last season, she starts on top this season. She had two Grade 1 wins last season and narrowly missed in two others.

2. Didia. The winner of the Pegasus Filly & Mare Turf (G2) in January, she won two graded stakes last season and was 10th in the Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf.

3. Gina Romantica. She made only four starts in 2023 but scored a big win in the First Lady (G1) and then finished a very good fourth last out in the Breeders' Cup Mile.

4. Moira. She won only once in 2023, but she was very good in all of her starts. Last out she finished third in the Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf. She was in the money in stakes in all six of her starts in 2023.

5. Bellabel. Won the Megahertz (G3) last out in her first start since late 2022. She was in the money with one win in three graded stakes in 2022, so perhaps she can be a player in this division.

Next 5: War Like Goddess, Ruby Nell, Alpha Bella, Surge Capacity, R Calli Kim

Male sprinters

1. Speed Boat Beach. He inherits the top spot here with Elite Power and Gunite now retired. After finishing fourth in the Breeders' Cup Sprint last November, he scored a facile win in the Malibu (G1) at Santa Anita in late December.

2. Skelly. Ran well in Saudi Arabia, finishing runner-up in the Riyadh Dirt Sprint (G3). Before that he won the King Cotton Stakes at Oaklawn in his first start of 2024. Last season he was 6-for-7, which included the Count Fleet (G3) as his only graded-stakes win. Major contender in this division now moving forward.

3. The Chosen Vron. Fifth in last November's Breeders' Cup Sprint, he had won eight straight previously. He's won his last two, both listed stakes at Del Mar and Santa Anita, and has won 15 of his 20 career starts. Runs Saturday in the San Carlos (G3).

4. Hoist the Gold. His connections tried to stretch him out last time in the Pegasus World Cup, but that experiment failed as he faded to finish fourth. Won the Cigar Mile (G2) last fall. His connections still believed he can route, so he ran in the Saudi Cup. Another failed run going longer, this time a 14th place in the Saudi Cup. Hopefully they get him back sprinting where he belongs.

5. Sibelius. Won the Feb. 10 Pelican Stakes at Tampa, defeating Nakatomi. He previously scored in the Mr. Prospector (G3) at Gulfstream in December. Now he heads to Dubai looking for a repeat win in the Golden Shaheen (G1).

Next 5:  Nakatomi, Super Chow, Tejano Twist, Raise Cain, Nobals

Kinza deserves your attention

I am not sure about the depth of Kinza’s fan base, which is likely to suffer from her trainer's polarizing presence in the sport.

But for Kinza's sake, let's put aside any personal sentiments, positive or negative, regarding the human connections involved.

Kinza has burst onto the scene, swiftly ascending to the top of her division. In her most recent race just a week ago, she dominated her seven rivals in the Santa Ysabel (G3), finishing five lengths clear. In each of her three career starts, she has run faster times than the 2-year-old champion, Just F Y I, did from the previous season.

To put it last weekend into perspective, last year's Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies runner-up, Jody’s Pride, also returned recently and scored a solid win in the listed Busher Stakes at Aqueduct. But Kinza surpassed her performance by 12 points on the Beyer scale.

Speed figures aren't the sole measure of performance, but such a significant gap deserves attention. Nevertheless, Kinza still faces numerous unanswered questions. She has yet to run anywhere outside of Santa Anita and hasn't faced off against some of the more established names in her division. Critics might argue she hasn't faced the "cream of the crop," but how do we define the best when Kinza already has consistently run faster by several lengths?

For now, Kinza takes over the No. 1 spot in her division in these rankings. Meanwhile, the 2-year-old champion from last season, Just F Y I, has yet to make her seasonal debut. We have no idea if that 2-year-old form with transfer to age 3.

But we do know this, Kinza is very good right now at age 3. What the future holds for the daughter of Carpe Diem is anyone’s guess, but others in this division will need to step up their game.